Spilwords.com presents Bandit Queen, written by Mark Tulin, a former Philadelphia Family Therapist who now resides in Santa Barbara, California.
— spillwords.com/bandit-queen/
BANDIT QUEEN
written by: Mark Tulin
She sits in the coffee shop
talking to herself,
arguing about things
no one understands.
Past conflicts
have never been resolved
but linger in her head.
She drinks from an old coffee cup
tangled in superstition.
She sees her father
at the bottom, her mother
the cream at the top.
She thinks about the children
she once had.
The ones that came from her womb
while standing up.
Many see the woman as an outlaw,
a Ma Barker, a bandit queen
about to grab a gun,
start a fistfight,
pull the fire alarm.
Far from dangerous.
A long way from her home in North Carolina,
she knows she’s a desperado;
used to it by now.
She leaves with her old coffee cup;
unties her imaginary horse,
and rides.
Crow On The Wire 
Beautiful characterisation!
Thank you, Malcolm.
Such a moving piece. Your depth of insight into her inner machinations is profound. I wish we all had your compassion.🤗
Oh, thank you Jordy. I think it comes from years of being a therapist. 🙂
Thank you for your service with the darkness and shedding light.🤗
My pleasure, Jordy. 🙂
Super post, Mark!! Really loved it! Bravo!
Thanks. 🙂
People shouldn’t think “bandits”.🏵 I would say “dumpster diver”, ☂”scavenger”, “🚲junk person”, 🥗”rag-and-bone man”, 🥡”waste picker”, 🍇”trash picker”. These titles are from different parts of the world. For me title should be 🛒”recycle selectors”! They take what we don’t want any more, even though it is still good to use. Or new title 🖍”recycle choosers”!🔦
Love it. They are amazing recycle choosers!! Great way of looking at it. 👍👍🌞